PA-18-648 - PKG00238221 - Research & Related Other Project Information - Project Summary/Abstract The annual NC BREATHE Conference is a one day state-based conference that brings together 120-150 academics, students, medical and health professionals, state, federal and local environmental agencies and community groups to share the latest research about the impacts of air pollution and climate change on human health, the environment and the economy, and to discuss the critical role policymaking plays. Recently, the environmental health scientific field has encouraged community health research through methods like community-based participatory research, citizen science, environmental health literacy and broader community research methods. NC BREATHE uniquely connects community groups, researchers and policymakers to facilitate community research, communication and policymaking. While many conferences strive for this outcome, few are able to achieve such a diverse audience as NC BREATHE does. The 2019 NC BREATHE conference will focus on the theme of environmental justice in North Carolina and how researchers, communities and policymakers can work together to protect vulnerable communities. This theme is particularly important now with the recent environmental justice issues of GenX, concentrated animal feeding operations and climate issues occurring in Eastern North Carolina. All three issues affect Eastern North Carolina where the conference will be held and all three will be the topics of the opening plenary session. This conference will allow a diverse audience to discuss pertinent issues and solutions.